Post by milhouse on Sept 22, 2014 13:54:23 GMT

Hope you are joking about this date especially after the problems a couple of years ago.

Sussex always hold our inter league competitions the last weekend in Feb and first weekend of March. We have often helped out then transporting the tables to Bournemouth.

The Oxford open is never held this late.

This is really going to muck us up as we need 2 weekends running as we store the tables over the weekends.

I'm hoping Oxford will be able to change the date as with so many competitions nowadays it makes it impossible to arrange things if dates are changed.

I would imagine there's a good reason for just changing dates although I'm assuming it's because it's Valentines day?

Hope you can help us out as it is impossible for us to find another 2 consecutive weekends.

If you are holding a competition on the last week of February, then this should not affect this? Last weekend in Feb would be the week after would it not? I had spoken to Dave Alder about it beforehand and he said there was nothing booked in the diary on those dates.

The venue is not available the weekend before and the first week of February is the International in Jersey.

World Champion 2013, 2017You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

Post by milhouse on Sept 23, 2014 9:33:00 GMT

Ok I should have said the last Complete weekend in Feb and the weekend that includes the earliest date of March. OR the 2 weekends before Bournemouth.

2014 Oxford Open - 8th February 2013 Oxford Open - 9th February

2015 - 21st Feb

Sorry if I assumed it was because it was Valentines Day just something I overheard at the weekend,

The venue is not available for the valentines weekend, so that is a no anyway.I cannot run the competition on the first weekend - it was a struggle doing it this year after Pete had agreed to change the date and then quit the county secretary job.

As i said previously, i spoke to Dave Alder before booking the tables to make sure nobody else had booked them in. How am i supposed to know when Sussex have their comps if they have not booked the tables? As Sussex have not booked the tables, can they not move their competition to the following 2 weeks?

Unfortunately, there is nothing i can do about the date. I also know that it is a push for the Inter-Area competition (played the day after) having it early as the AGM is not until the end of January and that only leaves them a couple of weeks to get everything sorted.

World Champion 2013, 2017You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

Post by JB on Sept 23, 2014 11:29:36 GMT

Looks like I have a problem then. Cant move to the next two weekends as one of them is Bournemouth (unless the tables haven't been booked yet?)

The 2 weekends after Bournemouth might be free but if its the same as last year one of them would be when the 4 pin Open was played. Do I go for these if they haven't yet booked the tables and say tough luck guys?.The 2 weekends after? Into April and one of them just happens to be Easter. The one after? Could be if Surrey haven't yet booked the tables for their open.

What annoys me is if I was changing dates of Sussex Open I would check if anyone normally has the tables.Every year we have the 2 weekends before Bournemouth. We have helped at times by picking the tables up from Reading. We have stored the tables and delivered them to Bournemouth.

At the moment it looks like I will have to stick with my original dates.We will have to source the tables elsewhere taking much needed revenue away from AEBBA.This will also affect some Sussex entries to the Oxford Open.

Post by milko on Sept 23, 2014 12:38:21 GMT

There will be some kind of clash here as I have asked for 7 tables this weekend and the following weekend. We have Sussex inter-league the 2 weekends before Bournemouth(last w/e in Feb and 1st w/e in March). As last year we store the tables and then we deliver them to Bournemouth.Is there any reason why you have the Oxford Open a week later than normal this year.I remember this causing problems before when your date was put a week later due to Valentines day. The problem it causes is obviously the tables and also secondly a lot of regular Sussex players will be absent from one of the events.

Two weeks later Jean!

There will be big problems if the organisers of these Opens keep on changing the dates, they must realise that the tables are booked for local and national competitions with not many spare weeks in the calendar.

I will reiterate what I said after Jeans post last year..YOU CAN'T KEEP CHANGING THE DATES!!!Come on Oxford.....BE FAIR!If the venue is not available then find another venue.....BERINSFIELD ?

Post by SirKT on Sept 23, 2014 13:06:17 GMT

Looks like I have a problem then. Cant move to the next two weekends as one of them is Bournemouth (unless the tables haven't been booked yet?)

The 2 weekends after Bournemouth might be free but if its the same as last year one of them would be when the 4 pin Open was played. Do I go for these if they haven't yet booked the tables and say tough luck guys?.The 2 weekends after? Into April and one of them just happens to be Easter. The one after? Could be if Surrey haven't yet booked the tables for their open.

What annoys me is if I was changing dates of Sussex Open I would check if anyone normally has the tables.Every year we have the 2 weekends before Bournemouth. We have helped at times by picking the tables up from Reading. We have stored the tables and delivered them to Bournemouth.

At the moment it looks like I will have to stick with my original dates.We will have to source the tables elsewhere taking much needed revenue away from AEBBA.This will also affect some Sussex entries to the Oxford Open.

SOME ENTRIES JEAN ?There were 27 Sussex entries this year in the Oxon Open, that was a third of the entry and looking at those names, the majority will be playing in the Sussex 1 day comps.Berinsfield sounds like a good option to me Mark (if available)

Post by Sav on Sept 23, 2014 14:41:06 GMT

The 2 weekends after Bournemouth might be free but if its the same as last year one of them would be when the 4 pin Open was played. Do I go for these if they haven't yet booked the tables and say tough luck guys?.The 2 weekends after?

Post by BB Warrior on Sept 23, 2014 15:28:56 GMT

As i said previously, i spoke to Dave Alder before booking the tables to make sure nobody else had booked them in. How am i supposed to know when Sussex have their comps if they have not booked the tables? As Sussex have not booked the tables, can they not move their competition to the following 2 weeks?

Although I understand the point you are making here Mark, Sussex have had the tables booked for the same 2 weekends for several years running now as can easily be seen on the threads for table hire dates for both 2013 and 2014 so it wouldn't have been that hard to find out....

Even if you had not spotted that then surely AEBBA Secretary should have been fully aware of and it would be common courtesy surely for him to have checked before accepting a booking from somebody else?

I hope that something can be resolved to allow both competitions to proceed with loss of income to AEBBA and loss of entries to the Oxon Open in 2015....

Post by milhouse on Sept 23, 2014 15:39:00 GMT

There will be big problems if the organisers of these Opens keep on changing the dates, they must realise that the tables are booked for local and national competitions with not many spare weeks in the calendar.

I will reiterate what I said after Jeans post last year..YOU CAN'T KEEP CHANGING THE DATES!!!Come on Oxford.....BE FAIR!If the venue is not available then find another venue.....BERINSFIELD ?

Milko

Are you offering to run the tournament then Keith?

Looks like a new County Secretary will be needed.....

Berinsfield would not be appropriate as we need 9 tables for that weekend and there is not enough room.

I have another venue but that will cost in the region of £400 so unless there is a generous sponsor out there....

Post by milhouse on Sept 23, 2014 23:11:12 GMT

I was just thinking tonight.....

Jean - If the Open is on the weekend of 20th... Is there any reason you couldn't have your tournaments for the 2 weeks previous to this ?? You mention about having issues for the weeks after but how about bringing your tournament forward?

World Champion 2013, 2017You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

Post by JB on Sept 24, 2014 11:27:39 GMT

One of the reasons we hold our competitions at the end of February is because in January we have another weekend of competitions (Sussex singles/doubles).We have over 150 players playing in our competitions at the end of Feb a lot of whom play in the singles/doubles weekend.To ask them to give up weekends so close together to me is a definite no as I know a lot of them would have to pull out of one of at lease one of the weekends.

Also the club we use cancel weekly events they have so we can use the venue for bar billiards. To ask them to cancel 3 weekends so close together is to me another definite no.

Looks as if we will have to stick to our original dates and source our tables elsewhere.

Hoping that the international is not the weekend of 7th Feb so Oxford can go back to their usual weekend.

Post by milko on Sept 24, 2014 11:50:38 GMT

Hoping that the international is not the weekend of 7th Feb so Oxford can go back to their usual weekend.

Perhaps the England captain (Curt) can ask them to play on Sat 31st Jan but as they didn't send a side over for the home International and losing to our "B" team last time they were at home they may not want to bother with International's anymore ?

Post by colinm on Sept 24, 2014 11:57:00 GMT

Hoping that the international is not the weekend of 7th Feb so Oxford can go back to their usual weekend.

Perhaps the England captain (Curt) can ask them to play on Sat 31st Jan but as they didn't send a side over for the home International and losing to our "B" team last time they were at home they may not want to bother with International's anymore ?

Milko (Now standing back to await flak )

Surely the simplest option is to move the International as Keith has suggested? As it is the date of this that is causing the issue here?

Post by magners on Sept 24, 2014 12:32:35 GMT

Hi Jean, I mentioned this situation to Colin Robbins, who I believe is doing your food at this event in February. He has had to book the dates as holiday with his work. These dates now can't be changed. So if you had to change your dates, you would lose Colin's services and possibly not have food.

Post by JB on Sept 24, 2014 12:44:06 GMT

Thanks Gary.

Our dates will be the original dates of 21/22 Feb and 28/1 Mar whether we have to source our tables elsewhere or not. There are too many problems of changing them. What is annoying me most is that we always have those 2 weeks and have helped out a lot with picking up delivering tables etc. If someone else came to me to book one of those weekends I would out of common courtesy explain the situation.

Post by milhouse on Sept 24, 2014 16:50:06 GMT

Our dates will be the original dates of 21/22 Feb and 28/1 Mar whether we have to source our tables elsewhere or not. There are too many problems of changing them. What is annoying me most is that we always have those 2 weeks and have helped out a lot with picking up delivering tables etc. If someone else came to me to book one of those weekends I would out of common courtesy explain the situation.

This is the first time that i have had to schedule the Oxon Open. I thought i only had to check with AEBBA regarding table hire. I didn't realise i had to check with all the other counties first before i booked the tables. For future, it would be helpful if you have things booked in, to book the tables at the same time, so this situation will not happen again.

Once again i will say, i cannot run the tournament on the weekend of 7/8 Feb (Also difficult for the Inter-Area Association).

So the only option i have is to find another venue.

I will update everyone if/when i find one.

World Champion 2013, 2017You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.